Daily Mail
New York City will soon be the first major city in the country to require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, performances and gyms, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.
The policy will go into effect on August 16, but inspections and enforcement won’t begin until September 13, the week that the city’s public schools reopen for the fall.
‘This is a miraculous place full of wonders, and if you’re vaccinated, all of that is gonna open up to you,’ de Blasio said.
Those looking to catch a Broadway show or get in a morning workout will need to pull out a CDC vaccination card or an app like the Excelsior Pass proving that they’ve had at least one jab of one of a Covid vaccine.
It’s the most aggressive step the city has taken yet to curb a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant.
The mayor touted the ‘Key to NYC Pass’ as a ‘first-in-the-nation’ approach.
‘The only way to patronize these establishments indoors will be if you’re vaccinated,’ de Blasio said.
‘The goal here is to convince everyone that this is the time. If we’re going to stop the Delta variant, the time is now. And that means getting vaccinated right now.’
De Blasio has focused on getting as many New Yorkers vaccinated as possible while resisting calls to mandate masks indoors, as several cities and counties in California have done.
During a press conference Monday, the mayor stood firm on pushing with vaccination efforts instead of reverting to the mask mandates of yesteryear.
‘The overwhelming strategic thrust is vaccination,’ the mayor said yesterday.
‘We think the right mix is to heavily focus on vaccination and continue to climb that leader and also give a very clear message, strongly recommending mask usage.
‘Mask wearing is not a substitute for vaccination.’
The comments came after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he ‘strongly’ recommended a mask mandate in the city, echoing the CDC’s latest guidance that vaccinated people should wear mask indoors to prevent the spread of the aggressive Delta variant.
Some businesses are already one step ahead of the mayor.
In an email to members on Monday, the high-end gym chain Equinox and its subsidiary SoulCycle announced that customers will have to show proof of vaccination to enter its studios and gyms.
De Blasio said Tuesday that he did not think checking vaccination status should be too difficult for businesses, which already have to take tickets or show diners to a table.
But Sean Ogs, manager of the Woodside Cafe in Queens, said he was ‘floored’ when he heard the news.
‘We’ve already been in a struggle. I don’ know how I’m going to deal with it,’ Ogs said.
‘It’s going to be extra work. It’ll make things impossible.’
Debbie McCarthy, a regular at the Woodside Cafe who is unvaccinated, said she was turned away over the weekend from several establishments that had already begun requiring proof of vaccinations from patrons.
‘I’m a little shocked they would do that,’ said McCarthy, who said she recovered from Covid a few months ago and believes her natural antibodies will protect from future infectio…
This Story First Appeared At The Daily Mail
